Former Fox of Leaves
by Bamboofoxfire Productions
Summary: For as long as he could remember, everyone hated and feared him, for no reason that he could understand. When a masked man appears and reveals the secret of why everyone despises him, and offers to show him how to use the great power he holds inside him, who is he to refuse? It wasn't as if anyone in the village was going to care that he went missing anyway. Dark!Naruto
1. Prologue

**Former Fox of Leaves  
****A Naruto Fanfiction**

* * *

The peace of the streets was broken, not previously silent but only filled with the sounds of daily villager bustle throughout Konohagakure, as a whole mess of items was sent cluttering across the earthen street, and among the various things that were sent into a cluttered heap was one such blond-haired boy.

He let out a whine of pain as he rolled off a hard object that he'd landed his back on, thinking he must have suffered a bruise, but it was quick to leave his mind as he was smacked over the head by hard bristles.

"You heard me, get out of my shop! And don't come back!" a man yelled, anger and a hint of fear familiar in his voice. The blue-eyed-blond gazed up with startled, tear-filled hues that betrayed his hurt and confusion.

"Why? I just wanted to buy some food! I have money to pay!" the boy shouted back, his voice cracking slightly.

"I don't care! I don't want your money, just stay away from me! Get going! Shoo!" The man took another swing at him with the broom he was brandishing in-hand like a weapon, making the kid flinch as the bristles raked across his face, scratching it.

He leapt up and ran several feet away before whirling around, fury showing in his own deep blue eyes. "Fine! I won't come back and buy anything! Your food's no good to me either!"

The boy paused and glanced around, getting stared at as people whispered audible insults about him, hateful and fearful looks boring into him. _Those eyes_.

"What?!" He demanded, glaring at them challengingly, daring them to come out and say what they thought about him out loud, instead of talking as if behind his back. He heard them anyway, so why did they even pretend like it was some sort of secret?

The only secret was the reason _why_ everyone hated him.

"Why do all of you look at me like that? I didn't do anything! I'm just-" he stopped, tears falling over his cheeks to leave tracks before he turned and bolted abruptly, pain clenching his chest. "Just stop looking at me like that! I didn't do anything wrong!"

He ran until he was too exhausted and his leg gave out, the boy tripping and crashing into the ground. He yelped out in pain as a rock cut through his knee and made it bleed. He ground his jaw angrily and slowly sat up, clutching his leg and carefully examining the wound, red trailing down his leg.

He bit back sniffles and tears as it ached, sparing a glance upward. Even now…people were staring at him from afar, skittishly turning partly away and whispering, as though he were some kind of diseased vermin that was going to spread to them all.

He bit his lip and struggle to his feet, limping off down a less travelled street if only to escape those damning gazes, forcing back small sobs that tried to bubble up.

If he was any other kid, some adult would be at his side, asking if he was alright. They'd wipe away his tears and try to take care of his wound, and then quiet his crying and have him off again to play with other kids, with friends that he would have had.

He choked back another sob and furiously wiped his tears away with his forearm, casting a hateful glare at passersby that continued to stare and managed to scare them into running away, fearful beyond reasons that he could understand.

So what. Let them hate him. He didn't want to be friends with people like that anyway.

He trudged along, avoiding everyone else as much as he could and ignoring the wound to his leg, until the blood flowing down it had dried and crusted on. The sun was going down, night soon approaching, but he didn't feel like returning to his home.

What did it even matter, anyway? His place was empty. No one was expecting him to come back or anything. Hell, he might as well have never returned there at all. Even if he disappeared from the village right now, no one would miss him. No one would give even the slightest damn, except maybe the Third Hokage. That old man was the only one who ever treated him like he wasn't an abomination undeserving of the very breath in his body.

He paused as he gazed down the slope beneath the path he was walking, a familiar route. Just like yesterday, that cocky black-haired kid from the Academy – Sasuke, that was his name, right? – was sitting on the end of the bridge by the water. He was here again today, and tomorrow he'd be in the same place once more.

One of his only true daily routines, Sasuke glanced up at his watcher. Normally he'd get a glare, and the blond-haired boy would turn his head away sharply, sticking his nose in the air with a guise of superiority.

At the moment though, he just didn't really feel he had it in him, downcasting his eyes to the ground in front of him and continuing to limp along with his hands in his pockets. He came to stop at the park, already vacated by all the other kids, their parents having picked them up already and taken them home long ago, he was sure.

With a sigh he moved to sit on one of the swings, teetering back and forth a couple of inches even as night descended. He wished someone would come and pick him up, tell him that they were going home together, and then have a mom to cook dinner for him and hassle him about a bedtime, so then she could tuck him in and maybe tell him a story until he fell asleep.

That was a comfort he knew he wasn't ever going to get. Not in this stupid village.

"Naruto Uzamaki." He jumped slightly and looked over to an adult figure cloaked in black, shocked that someone had called him by name. Everyone in the village always just referred to him as _'that boy'_. "It's a little late to be out alone, isn't it?"

"Yeah? And what do you care?" the boy questioned petulantly, sticking out a lower lip in a pout. The man stepped closer and he was able to get a better look at the mask that covered his face, only having one eye-hole, but not a mask he'd seen before. The boy hummed curiously and tilted his head. "Hey, you're not an ANBU, are you?"

"No, I'm not. In fact, I'm not even a part of this village, but I've seen how the villagers treat you. They can be quite cruel, can't they?"

Naruto blinked at the mysterious masked man in confusion before his eyes saddened.

"I don't know…why they hate me so much..." he mumbled. "I didn't do anything to them, but for as long as I can remember they've been that way."

"It's because of the power inside you."

Naruto glanced up, now more confused than ever. "Power? What sort of power?"

"Tell me, you've heard the story, about the nine-tailed fox that ravaged this village seven years ago, haven't you?" the man questioned curiously.

"Yeah, everyone knows about that." Naruto hummed. "The fourth Hokage defeated the fox and died saving the village." He lowered his head slightly. "My parents died defending the village too. That's what Lord Third told me, at least."

"The nine-tailed fox that attacked the village back then was not killed, but in fact, it still lives on."

"But…everyone says they killed the fox monster. You mean it's still alive? Then, it could attack again. If the village doesn't know, then-"

"Everyone in the village knows that the fox still lives," the man interrupted, catching Naruto by surprise. "In fact, it lives in this very village. The villagers and the fourth Hokage could not kill the nine-tailed fox, so instead, they sealed it into a human baby, and as it began to grow up, the villagers came to fear and despise this child."

Naruto's eyes widened slightly, looking somewhat horrified. "Hold on…you don't mean that…"

"That's right. You're the nine-tailed fox now. That is why the villagers hate and fear you. They'd like nothing more than to be rid of you, because they can only see you as a monster. To them, that is all you are. Not a human, not a boy, but a beast."

Fresh tears welled up in the young boy's eyes, turning them to look at the ground in shock and pain.

Now…all of those things that people called him, a monster, a demon, and looking at him with _those_ eyes…it all suddenly seemed to make sense. Even his teacher at the academy, Iruka...looked at him like _that_ and told everyone to just ignore him and his antics, as if he didn't even exist. That was even worse than being scorned by the villagers. As if it wasn't even worth acknowledging him for the trouble he caused to annoy everyone for treating him the way they did, much less acknowledging him for anything positive.

"But I'm…I'm not a demon…I'm not the monster fox…I'm…I'm Naruto Uzamaki." He whispered, pain tight in his chest.

"That's right, you are Naruto Uzamaki." The man spoke, drawing the boy's attention. It was so foreign and attention-grabbing that anyone would call him by his name. Not _demon_, or _monster_, or _that boy_. "The villagers here can't see your power as anything but a nuisance to suppress and fear, but that power is such a powerful gift. You can make that power your own, and become a powerful ninja. More powerful than any before you, even more than any of the Hokage of this village. In fact, you could probably become one of the most powerful ninja this world has ever seen, and create a world where you're recognized and respected."

"You…you think so?" Naruto fumbled meekly, a spark of hopefulness in his blue eyes.

"It's possible, but here, in this village, the people here would only get in your way and prevent you from being the great force you are destined to be. If you left this village and came with me, though, I could help you realize that potential," the masked man promised, extending a hand. "And in return, you help me to realize a world where hate no longer exists."

Naruto blinked at him several times before getting to his feet, reaching for the hand that was offered him. "I…I do want that. If people will really recognize me and stop hating me, then show me how to use this power."

* * *

**A/N:** So just one thing about Naruto and the flash-back of when the Kyuubi attacked the leaf village, why the heck didn't Obito simply come back a couple years later when Naruto was still young and take him then? I mean sure, Minato wounded him the night of so he couldn't really get Naruto right then and there, but why wait some sixteen years to get him when he'd be powerful and hard to capture instead of recover and come back in like two or three or four years while Naruto was still a little kid? No one else besides Minato and Kushina even knew about Obito's involvement in the Kyuubi's attack since they died before they could tell the Third Hokage or anyone about that anyway, so it would have been relatively easy, I would think.

Anyway, that's where this idea came into play. More chapters to come.


	2. Target

**Former Fox of Leaves  
****A Naruto Fanfiction**

* * *

"So, Kakashi, how did the mission go?"

"It went well. Those three make for a good team. They're advancing quickly," the silver-haired Jounin reported coolly, standing with a hand on his hip.

"I see. I'm glad to hear Team 7 is coming along nicely," the Third Hokage stated sincerely, blowing out a plume of smoke before returning to his smoking pipe. "It wasn't too long ago that two of them made Chunin, isn't that right?"

"Yeah," Kakashi nodded. "Sakura was…a little disheartened that she didn't quite make the cut, but judging from how far she managed to get the last time, I don't think she'll strike out a second time. Especially not with Sasuke and Soriku as her teammates."

"Good, good. I look forward to it. At any rate, I'm sorry to have to ask you this so soon after you've only just returned from a mission, but it's of the utmost importance. I'm assigning you an A rank mission."

Kakashi tilted his head slightly in question. "Lord Hokage, are you sure that's wise?"

"I won't be sending Team 7, more specifically, I meant just you, and a few other higher ranking ninja. I know it's been some time, but I'd like you to carry this out as a member of ANBU, at least for the time being."

Now Kakashi's curiosity and suspicions were piqued. This definitely had to be something of importance for a request like that.

"Exactly what sort of mission, Lord Hokage?"

* * *

"Sasukeee!" Sakura chimed, jogging to catch up. "Wait for me! You're always so quick to disappear right after a mission, let's spend some time together this time." She latched onto his arm and ignored the annoyed look he gave her.

"I don't really feel like 'hanging out'. That was a long mission." Even the cocky Uchiha needed a break once and a while, though it was feeling like a break from the pink-haired girl was going to be the bigger relief than recuperating from the mission itself. She was always so damn clingy beyond the point of irritating.

"Oh come on, Sasuke, don't be like that," a silky third voice chimed, curly, dusty brown locks draping over equally gray-brown eyes and tanned skin. A milk-chocolate colored hawk was perched on his leather-clad shoulders, golden eyes blinking watchfully. "It'd be nice for us to simply hang out without having to worry about enemy attacks and keeping our guard up for once. Lately we've only been spending time together on missions, and you know Kakashi-sensei is always talking about working on our teamwork outside of missions too."

"Our teamwork is fine," Sasuke stated matter-of-factly. "We breezed through the Chunin Exams no problem in the second stage, and we have a good track record on missions too. I don't think we need to work on it simply lazing about in each other's presences' on top of that."

"But spending down time together is just another part of teamwork," the brunette shrugged. "Besides, I'm sure I can't be the only one here who's hungry, and I doubt any of us are in much of a mood to make our own food too. Why don't we go out to eat somewhere together? I'll spot us all to dinner this time."

Sasuke stared at the other male with the same casual, unreadable coldness he always bore before softly _harrumph_ing under his breath. "Alright, if you're paying, then I certainly won't complain."

"Then it's settled," Soriku chirped happily, placing his hands on his hips. "So, where should we eat, then? There's always the all-you-can-eat barbeque, or perhaps Ichiraku ramen?"

"All-you-can-eat does sound pretty good right now," Sasuke agreed with a small shrug, gazing elsewhere in a disinterested fashion.

"Same here! Wherever Sasuke wants to eat is fine by me." Sakura chimed even as she made dreamy-eyes at the Uchiha boy.

"Alright, then barbeque it is. We should probably also ask Kakashi-sensei if he wants to join us, too." Soriku proposed. "So, as soon as he shows up after reporting to Lord Third, we'll all go."

The other two merely nodded in agreement. Luckily they weren't made to wait long as their silver-haired teacher appeared again some fifteen-odd minutes later.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura piped up, offering him a smile. "Soriku was offering to take all of us out to lunch, his treat. We were waiting to ask if you wanted to join us too."

"Sorry, but I've actually been called upon for another mission." Kakashi informed casually, coming to stop just in front of the trio.

"Already? We only just returned from the last one," Sasuke muttered.

"Actually this is a mission just for me and a few other higher ranking ninja. Something's come up and Lord Hokage chose to send me off on this one. In the meantime, you three will have the next several days off."

"Wow, you mean it?" Sakura yelped happily, casting gleaming eyes over her shoulder towards Sasuke. _That means maybe I can have some more quality time with Sasuke…instead of having to worry about dumb missions. Oh, this is perfect!_

Sasuke huffed and narrowed his eyes slightly. "How long are you going to be gone? A few days?"

"Well…that's the hope, at any rate," Kakashi replied stoically. "Although, it may turn out to be longer than that, only time will tell. If I'm not back soon, Lord Hokage will find someone else to fill in for me for a while, and you'll probably have a few lower ranking missions at first while they take my place temporarily, just so you can feel each other out a bit. Hopefully I won't be gone long enough for that to be necessary though."

"Well, if nothing else, at least we'll get a break. It'll be nice to just unwind for once." Soriku chuckled softly.

"Right. You three take care until I get back, then," Kakashi offered in parting, closing his eye in a smile before he disappeared a small explosion of smoke.

"Well, that was interesting," Soriku hummed before turning to walk down the street, pausing to wait for his companions to join him. "Since I guess he can't come, let's get going to eat, shall we?"

"Lead the way," Sasuke shrugged dismissively, stepping down the road. Sakura only giggled happily and followed a pace behind. After about a minute of silence, Soriku couldn't help but speak up a bit.

"I wonder what sort of mission Kakashi-sensei is going off to. It sounded important."

"Who knows? If it was important for us to know everything, then I'm sure he would have mentioned more about it. It's probably nothing all that noteworthy."

"Mmm, perhaps…" Soriku hummed. "Or maybe it's something top secret he can't talk about. I wonder what it could be."

"Well if it's top secret, it's not really our business to know, right?" Sakura pointed out.

"Oh, I know that," Soriku laughed softly, idly reaching up to scratch behind the head of the hawk perched on his shoulder. "I was simply fantasizing aloud. Whatever kind of mission it is, I probably wouldn't be able to think it up accurately anyway. It's simply the first time this has happened, so I'm curious."

"Well you know what they say, _Curiosity killed the cat_." Sakura chastised mildly.

"True, so I guess it's lucky then that I'm not a cat," Soriku laughed. "Still, I know where not to poke my nose. Like Sasuke said, it's probably nothing noteworthy anyway.

* * *

The clap of footsteps, multiple pairs, echoed through the darkness of the long corridor. One was noticeably in the lead of the others, quieter and quicker. The lack of light could be described as suffocating, almost impossible to navigate.

But he knew these halls well.

He ducked sharply to the left, running headlong into cloth and disappearing behind it, kneeling down quickly and holding the very bottom edges so that it stopped moving and appeared more straight, blending with the walls.

Several other pairs of footsteps quickly approached, blazing by without even noticing, the darkness too great to differentiate the cloth from the wall. He held his breath and listened.

_Idiots_, he thought cynically just as a loud bang shook the walls and sent crumbs from the ceiling trickling down, screams of agony accompanying the scent of smoke and charred flesh.

The paper-bomb trip-line worked.

He poked his head out carefully, flames yet to dissipate still clinging to the bodies of the ones that had been caught in the blast.

Two down, two more to go. He darted out and back down the hall from where he'd come, ignoring the shout of surprise behind him by the two who'd been fortunate enough not to get blasted into bits.

Complete darkness enveloped him again, pitching him into blindness, but he already knew where he was going and his eyes adjusted quickly.

_Left in 8 meters. Left in 20 meters. Right in 16 meters._ _Trap in 28 meters._

He had it all memorized, always setting up the traps in the same place. So sure, someone with knowledge of the layout might then be able to survive, but then…no one ever survived long enough for a second chance at it.

He ducked through a door and leapt upward to perch above it in a space that was only about two feet high and four feet across, just before he heard the sickening sound of metal piercing a body, the half-wails and half-gurgles of a fading life just down the hall and the horrified gasps of their companion.

His impatience was quickly rising as the remaining person took their sweet time to continue the pursuit, beginning to wonder if perhaps the fool had turned coward as well and run away silently, like a damn rat.

No…rat was too redeeming of a label. A cockroach. That was more befitting.

A light slowly started to pool from the hall, dim but enough to break through some of the darkness, before a human shape holding the light followed it.

The person wore a thick combat vest that was a deep green, with a recognizable red swirl inscripted into the back, and every of the tiniest hairs on his body prickled furiously.

"_How dare you…_" he ground out in a bestial growl, making the man jump and whirl around to look at the boy above him.

The fire light reflected off slitted, blood red eyes ominously and seemed to make them glow from the darkness, only a few weak splashes of light showing the snarling face that held those glaring eyes on the man, making him freeze completely in terror.

"_Leaf village scum…how dare you invade my home!_" the red-eyed figure howled, leaping down with all fours and tearing into the panicked man with a full hand of razor claws.

A horrible gurgle choked with liquid escaped the man's lips even as blood spurted from the ravaged artery in his neck, the body thudding to the stone floor loudly, and then silence.

Some of the fire light remained and he could see the horrible death grimace that was frozen on the man's face, blood pooling from his neck and a last few inaudible gasping chokes escaping the dead form. His younger self might have wretched at it all but he'd numbed himself to it now.

No…if anything, he felt exhilarated. Somehow the permanently etched look of horror and pain on that face, the sounds of his life draining away, the feel of blood between his fingers…

It was fully deserved. Every bit of it.

They'd wanted nothing more than to just be rid of him, and when he was finally gone and left, they relentlessly tracked him and tried to assassinate him instead of just letting him live in peace.

_They_ were the ones who sealed Kyuubi in him to begin with, yet they all made it out to be _his_ fault that he had the demon fox inside him.

Damn the Leaf. Damn every one of them. If they wanted to track him down and try to kill him, let them. He'd show them all that it wasn't that easy.

Swelling with fury, he roared out challengingly for any unnoticed others that might still be around, just waiting to take his live, his voice echoing down the narrow corridors bathed in darkness.

"_Go ahead and come get me! I'll kill all of you!_"


	3. Means to an End

**Former Fox of Leaves  
****A Naruto Fanfiction**

* * *

There were no other shinobi invaders besides the ones that he'd already gotten rid of. He was almost disappointed.

Almost.

Of course now he had another dilemma, that being, how he was going to get rid of the corpses. He wasn't supposed to go outside but neither was his companion around to move them out of his dark little space of existence.

He didn't mind the stains that'd be left, it wasn't as if there was light to even see them anyway, but the corpses would start to smell before long. The ones that had been charred by paper bombs were already reeking up that section of hallway.

He sighed and rested his head over his forearm just on the edge of his ledge, bored and agitated.

"How much longer is he gonna be gone, anyway? It seems like forever ago," he spoke aloud, seemingly only to the emptiness of the room. Silence followed his question before he growled softly and lifted his head. "Well? How long, do you think?"

"_**Don't ask me, kit. It's not like I keep his calendar,**_" a deep, rumbling voice answered only to his ears, a voice no other could hear.

The kid huffed in annoyance and rolled onto his back, letting his head hang backwards over the edge. "Well…how long has he been gone so far?"

"_**You know I can't tell one day from the next or the passing of time down here,**_" Kyuubi rumbled, sounding equally annoyed. "_**Day, night, yesterday, tomorrow, it's as much a mystery to me.**_"

Naruto only hummed and closed his eyes, though nothing seemed to change around him with the complete lack of light to this place. "I hope he comes back soon. I don't want to have to smell corpses when I'm trying to sleep."

"_**And I don't want to listen to you rambling when I'M trying to sleep,**_" Kyuubi growled, giving the impression of batting his tails in annoyance.

"Sorry, Kyuubi…" Naruto mumbled, once again restlessly changing positions, laying on his side now. "I'll just be quiet now." The beast only _harrumph_ed at him before pitching them both into silence. Kyuubi was always in some sort of foul mood, but some days were worse than others.

Some days the fox actually seemed almost eager to talk to him, and it wasn't as though the boy had anyone else to talk to himself. _Friends_ weren't exactly a luxury he had ever been fortunate enough to have. Obviously Kyuubi wasn't in a very talkative mood today though.

He sighed and closed his eyes. Maybe if Tobi returned he'd have someone to talk to. The masked man wasn't exactly the most talkative all the time either but it was better than this depressing isolation.

Besides, he didn't like these Leaf shinobi knowing where he was and trying to hunt him down. Maybe it was time to discuss moving to one of the other hideouts again.

"_**Oi, brat!**_"

"Hm? What is it?"

"_**Don't bother wasting your energy waiting up, you know how long that guy can take to make his appearances. You sleep too.**_"

Naruto hummed softly, at first not moving before he deftly snatched up his pillow and nestled against it. "I guess. Maybe he'll be back by the time I wake up, you think?"

"_**Hmph, I can only hope so. Waiting around here is too dull. Those Leaf ninja are the only real action we've seen in a while.**_"

"Maybe…but I wish they'd just leave us alone." Naruto mumbled into his pillow, hesitating to speak what was on his mind for several moments. "Kyuubi…do you think I could've had friends…if I stayed back at the village?" he asked somewhat mournfully.

For a long time the fox was completely silent, before huffing irritably. "_**Just shut up and go to sleep, brat. I told you to stop talking.**_"

"Sorry," Naruto apologized again, sleep not long to claim him, already having forgotten his earlier complaints about sleeping with the smell of corpses around.

* * *

Naruto mumbled incoherently to himself even as his awareness crept back, splayed and idly scratching his stomach. He'd managed to keep his pillow beneath his head though now it was wet with drool, and his shirt had crept halfway up towards his head while he'd been sleeping.

He groaned softly and lifted his head, not bothering to open heavy eyelids just yet. It hardly mattered since his place was completely dark beyond anyone's ability to see anyway. Groggily and still not quite awake, he moved to crawl out of his sleeping place and unceremoniously toppled to the floor, letting out a whine of pain.

"…_ooowww_…damn it…that really hurt," he complained, rubbing his head. He took a second to recover before standing up with a grumble, walking forward carefully. He reached the spot where the body should have been but his foot didn't touch anything.

He tilted his head in question and felt around, continuing to walk forward, but it had disappeared.

"Hey…the body's gone…that means Tobi must be back." he thought aloud, making his way down the hall. The other body that had been run through by one of his many traps had disappeared too, and the two that had been burned into crisps.

After a brief walk he spied dim firelight ahead in one of the various chambers, keeping his guard up just in case but not terribly worried about more enemies. When he finally emerged he was greeted by a tall, black-clad figure that was familiar to him, a poof of unruly black hair pushed up by the red swirl-shaped mask that adorned his face.

The man was alert to Naruto's presence immediately and turned to face him, one red Sharingan eye peering at him from the single eye-hole.

"You're finally back. Just where the heck have you been all this time?" Naruto demanded petulantly, offering up a slight glare through intense blue eyes.

"Oh, you know me! Always busy, doing things that need to be done! But it's so _nice_ that I was missed! I missed you too, y'know?" Tobi offered up in a ridiculous, rambling, hyperactive voice that sounded like it belonged to a cartoon character.

Naruto closed his eyes with a frown. It was obnoxious even by his standards, and that was saying something. Or at least saying something compared to how obnoxious he once tried to make himself out to be, though he'd fervently argue he wasn't that annoying brat that only pulled pranks and caused trouble to get attention.

Tobi was the first one to acknowledge him even when he didn't cause trouble, and even took him seriously enough to train him to be a better ninja, instead of just blow him off like the adults in the village had, so it hadn't been as necessary to go out of his way to cause trouble.

"You can drop the voice and the acting, ya know. I'm not a little kid anymore."

"Heh, sorry, it's become a habit I guess," the man returned in a more serious, natural voice. "You look annoyed."

"Some of those stupid Leaf ninja managed to break in here again while you were gone, ya know. It was troublesome."

"I'm well aware of that." Tobi returned, pausing before he added, "Well…what I mean to say is that it became relatively obvious by the bodies. You seem to have handled it quite nicely though. It's quite impressive you were able to handle four Jounin so easily."

"Well of course. I mean, I have something they _don't_, after all." Naruto reminded. "They never even think I can use Kyuubi's power when they come after me, so it's not exactly hard to catch them by surprise."

"That is true…" Tobi agreed. "However, don't get too confident. It's been easy up to this point, but don't take the Leaf _too_ lightly. Eventually they'll send someone a lot harder to handle than those you've faced so far."

"_**Heh. He says that as if he actually thinks the Leaf village can take me,**_" Kyuubi scoffed indignantly.

"I'm not too worried. And anyway, if they know where I am, shouldn't we move to one of the other locations or something?" Naruto suggested.

"I thought you said you weren't worried?" Tobi questioned with a note to his voice that might have been amusement.

"I'm not worried, but it's irritating. Those bastards from the village did nothing but yell at me to go away, but when I do they all come after me instead of leaving me alone. I left to get away from them! I just want them to leave me alone and stop hating me!"

"I'm afraid that making them stop hating you won't be so easy as to simply go into hiding." Tobi stated seriously, maybe even with a touch of understanding to his voice, unless Naruto was mistaken. "People aren't able to let go of their hatred so easily. The fact that you even live and exist in this world is enough to kindle their fear and anger towards you. At least, with the world as it is now, but as I promised you before, we're going to change that."

"Yeah…but how? I mean…I've done what you've asked and trained really hard, every day! I've gotten really strong and even figured out how to tap into Kyuubi's power, but all I've done is hide underground, not doing anything to change things, not going anywhere, moving from one hideout to the next whenever the Leaf shinobi find out where I am and come after me. What am I supposed to accomplish always hiding like this, not allowed to leave but not allowed to just be left alone either? It's so _frustrating_!" The blond ranted, a hint of desperation and longing in both his tone and eyes.

"Patience. You won't have to hide much longer. All of this hiding and training in secret has been for the sheer purpose of preparing you for the real shinobi world. Before, you were too easy of a target if anyone figured out who you were, so it was necessary."

"I know that…" Naruto mumbled reluctantly, looking kicked. "…but…"

"Before, you lacked the skills necessary to deal with other shinobi that would be out searching for you, so it was important for you to hone your abilities without the risk of being spotted and taken back, or killed. Since then, you've progressed well, and although it has been the cause of some trouble for us, those few instances where the Leaf village located you and tried to come after you turned out to be a little bonus to help you further hone those skills for true combat. Yes, it won't be long now before we can begin our plan…"

Naruto perked curiously, somewhat distracted from his sorrow and frustrations. "You mentioned that before…but I still don't know what this plan of yours is."

"I thought it better not to mention the details before, in case it would become a distraction to your training, though I think it would be best if you didn't know just yet."

"And why's that?" Naruto demanded, scowling.

"Just think about it. Your greatest weakness is in the execution and combatting of Genjutsu. If, for some reason, one of the major village's managed to somehow capture you, for instance, and interrogate you, there's a risk that knowing too much could give the enemy information and get in the way of our plan towards erasing this hate and pain, even if you don't _willingly_ give it to them."

"I guess I see your point…" Naruto muttered reluctantly. "You can't tell me _anything_ about what this plan is?"

"Well, it is necessary for me to tell you this much. Do you have any knowledge of what the Tailed Beasts and Jinchuriki are?"

Naruto blinked and tilted his head in confusion. "Tailed Beasts, and Jinchuriki?"

"_**Tailed Beasts are powerful beings like myself, brat, and Jinchuriki are the ones who have us sealed inside them, like you.**_"

"You mean…there are others like me?" he questioned aloud. Tobi didn't seem to think the slight shift in his confusion, or that he suddenly knew what those terms meant despite never having explained them to the boy, were anything unusual.

He knew that Naruto could converse with the nine-tails, having been the one to help the boy reach that point, and since no one else was ever around to judge him Naruto had gotten into the habit of talking to it out loud and fully in the open.

"Yes, including you, there are nine in total," Tobi confirmed. "Well…to be more exact, there are nine Tailed Beasts, the Bijuu. However, not every Bijuu has a Jinchuriki. At least not always. As their hosts die in one way or another, sometimes they are revived free of being sealed, and other times, they are sealed into a new host. The Kyuubi has already had two hosts before you."

"Really?" Naruto questioned, actually somewhat shocked by this. He'd always assumed he was the only one it had ever happened to, though he couldn't help but feel a strange sort of vibe emanating from Kyuubi. "Who were the others?"

"Neither of them are people you would know, so it isn't really worth mentioning. After all, it's because the previous hosts died that it was then sealed into you."

"Oh…I guess that's true." Naruto deadpanned. Still, he got a strange feeling that there was something more to it he wasn't grasping. "Anyway, what about these other Jinchuriki you were talking about?"

"In order to carry out our plans, we'll need a great amount of power. Only then can we make everyone else within the shinobi world see their faults, and make a newly realized world where hate, and pain, and loss no longer exist. They will be erased from this world, so that only good things like love, understanding, and gain exist in this world. In order to accomplish this, we'll need all nine Bijuu."

"I see…" Naruto hummed, not really having any more answers than before, and not really fully understanding all of it, but he figured he was beginning to understand what their goal was going to be.

"In every village, Jinchuriki are treated the same as you were. They are shunned, and viewed with fear and hatred. Some may come willingly, others might not. I already have other allies working on trying to find and bring the Jinchuriki to our cause, but I want you to help as well."

"And what about the ones that don't want to help us?" Naruto asked, not sure he wanted to know the answer.

"Then we may have to capture them by force, but we won't kill them. It's important that we keep them alive. They are…invaluable, after all."

Naruto only hummed thoughtfully before lowering his gaze, not sure if he'd really be able to carry through on that. Surely…those other Jinchuriki…they must understand how he felt too, right? Perhaps they were even people that he could become friends with.

People that wouldn't hate him for what he held inside of him…

"I know that the very thought of having to fight one of your own must be unpleasant for you," Tobi sympathized. "But when all is said and done, it will be worth it in the end. When the world I envision is finally created, you'll no longer have to worry about being hated. No one will look at you, a Jinchuriki, with hate or fear again."

Naruto was still reluctant, but he nodded his head none the less. If that's what it took to live in a world where he wasn't looked upon as a monster, for what _others_ had forced upon him, then he'd definitely see to it that Tobi's plan succeeded.


	4. Internal Squabbles

**Former Fox of Leaves  
****A Naruto Fanfiction**

* * *

Naruto launched from one thick branch to another, moving near-silent through the trees. The only sounds to surround him were the chirping of insects in the night, and the lone hoot of an owl in the distance.

Tobi had said he had some other matters to attend to, so Naruto was going to have to move to the next hideout on his own. He rarely left whichever one he was staying at, but he knew the routes to move between the different locations at the very least.

Even so, it always felt strange leaping through the trees, or really going anywhere that wasn't in his secluded little underground homes.

A part of him sort of laughed at that, considering he didn't feel at home in the forest when he was from Konohagakure to begin with, but then, he never had _truly_ belonged in the Leaf.

At any rate, it didn't matter. He didn't have time to start thinking about that horrible village. He had to focus on helping Tobi gather all of the tailed beasts together.

"_**Hey, kit.**_"

"What is it?"

"_**I know you want to gain acceptance and follow through on this plan of his and everything, but I think we should think about this a little more carefully and be cautious.**_" Kyuubi warned in an oddly serious and thoughtful tone.

"What do you mean by that?" Naruto asked, curious as to why Kyuubi seemed so interested all of a sudden. He'd always gotten the impression that the fox didn't care one bit for what Tobi did.

"_**I'm saying I don't trust him. This plan of his doesn't sit right with me.**_"

"What, you getting cold feet about the possibility of fighting your own kind or something?"

"_**That's not it…**_"

Naruto grinned somewhat mischievously. "Maybe it's that you're scared to fight them?"

"_**Idiot! I'm the strongest of all nine Bijuu! I have no reason to be scared.**_" Kyuubi roared angrily, not taking too kindly to the dumb brat insulting his strength.

"How do you figure that?" Naruto asked, curious now. He hadn't even known about the existence of the other Tailed Beasts before today, and he couldn't tell if Kyuubi was only boasting or if he really could be the strongest.

"_**There are nine Bijuu, right? Each one has a different number of tails. Ichibi, one tail; Nibi, two tails; Sanbi, three tails; Yonbi, four tails; and so on. The more number of tails, the more powerful the Bijuu. I have nine tails, so what does that tell you?**_"

"Oh…I think I see what you mean." Naruto deadpanned. "So I guess that means I have a lot of power, then."

"_**Don't forget that it's MY power, not yours.**_" Kyuubi growled. "_**Just because I lend you my chakra every now and again doesn't mean you're the one who gets the credit.**_"

"Right, sorry…" Naruto offered up with a wince. It seemed enough to dissipate some of Kyuubi's anger though.

"_**Hmph. At any rate, just be careful. Nothing trustworthy comes from a human trying to gather any of the Bijuu, much less all nine.**_"

"Well I trust him! He's the only one that's accepted us and helped me become strong. That's more than the Leaf ever did for us!"

"_**Fool, he's only helped YOU, not the both of us, assuming he even really is helping you at all and not simply using you.**_" Kyuubi accused.

"And why would he do that? He's the only one that ever even looked at me without labeling me as some kind of monster! What reason could he have to just use me? He's done nothing but give me what everyone in the village tried to take away."

"_**Because you're a Jinchuriki. All humans are the same. Yes, they hate and fear us Bijuu, but they don't keep us around for no reason, otherwise they'd have just killed you before Tobi took you away, easily. They want to keep us as weapons of war, and I suspect this Tobi guy is no different.**_"

"Yeah? And what proof do you have that he's just like those Leaf Village bastards? Huh?" Naruto demanded, getting a bit riled by what Kyuubi was saying.

"_**Because, humans never change. They desire our power, but they don't care at all for us beyond that. That's why they give us the label of "beast" and seal us away against our will. Even you-**_"

"I'm not like that!" Naruto retorted fiercely.

"_**Heh…and who's the one that's always borrowing my power at every turn, claiming that it's YOU who's the strong one? You can't even give me a little credit when I help you.**_"

"I'm just…I didn't get any choice in any of this either, ya know!" Naruto pointed out.

"_**No one's ever stopped you from removing the seal on this cage, either.**_" Kyuubi returned.

"Yeah…but if I did that…" he trailed off slightly before picking up again. "Tobi said that if I removed the seal and let you free, as the host, I'd die. And besides, I can always let you out after I get old and I'm ready for that. I mean, it's not like you age as fast as I do or anything, and then-"

"_**And then I'll just be sealed into the next unfortunate idiot to become my container.**_" Kyuubi returned bitterly.

"Then…then I'll just make sure they don't! I mean, letting you go totally free after I become older and stronger is fair, right?"

"_**Hmph. You're naïve. Even if it WAS fair, you can't promise that others won't seal me anyway. Even if you made them promise not to, they'd break it. And if they didn't break the promise, someone you didn't make promise that would do it. Any way you slice it, I'm still in a cage.**_"

"Maybe not. I mean, if Tobi's plan succeeds, maybe you will be allowed to go free. If we change the world…"

"_**You can change the world all you like, but you can't change people.**_" Kyuubi argued. "_**If you really gave a damn about giving me freedom like you say, then you'd let me out now.**_"

Naruto frowned even as he continued through the trees, eyes sad and uncertain at the idea. He certainly wouldn't want to be locked up against his will. Actually, even though he had agreed to it, he was pretty sure he could relate, always having to hide away and not being allowed to leave like he did.

In a way, he could sympathize with how it felt to be trapped some place and unable to leave it.

"I…I know that maybe that is only fair…and that I have no right to just take your power all the time until I'm old and all, but…I don't think I'm ready to do that…not yet at least…" he muttered indecisively, knowing that Kyuubi wasn't going to be happy with his respond.

As he thought, the fox only growled in irritation and _harrumph_ed, lurking deeper into the cage created by the seal and falling silent. Even with Kyuubi going quiet, he could still feel the waves of hatred and bitterness boiling behind the seal.

He considered offering up an apology but knew that it would be without meaning since he couldn't simply give Kyuubi what he wanted and let him go.

Somehow he highly doubted that Kyuubi would have any forgiveness to give to empty words.

Naruto stopped to perch on the next branch and grumbled under his breath, his stomach letting out a mini howl and pinching, the boy furrowing his brows in discomfort.

"Man I'm hungry. I wonder if there's anything around here we could find to eat. I don't think I can go all the way to the other hideout until I get some food in my stomach."

He didn't receive a reply or any kind of commentary, knowing he probably wasn't going to for a while after how their little discussion just ended.

He sighed audibly and leapt up to a higher branch until he could see over the other trees, humming in thought as he scanned the horizon. After a brief search he spotted what looked to be some building structures, that of a small town, no doubt.

"There's gotta be something to eat there!" he blurted before leaping down and crossing the forest eagerly. "Allll-right! Food, here I come!"


	5. Toad Sage

**Former Fox of Leaves  
****A Naruto Fanfiction**

* * *

Naruto groaned pitifully under his breath even as he sulked down an alleyway, collapsing to the dirt even as he clutched his arms around him stomach.

"Oh man…I was so excited about the idea of getting something to eat…that I totally forgot I had to pay for it…" he whined, not bothering to move from the ground.

"_**Keh. You really are an idiot.**_"

"Hey, shut up! It's just been a while since I had to go buy my own food, okay?!" He snapped out loud, briefly lifting his head before letting his chin fall back to the dirt, his voice dropping back to a pitiful tone at this point. "…I don't think I can make it all the way to the next place until I have food in my stomach…but at this rate I just might starve."

"_**You're a ninja, aren't you? Just grab something when no one's looking. It's pathetic to hear you whining about something so easy to solve.**_"

"Yeah but that'd be stealing, ya know, and that's just wrong!"

"_**Funny, you have no problem killing those Leaf shinobi in cold blood, yet you're arguing about how bad stealing is.**_" Kyuubi mused snidely, finding this train of thought somewhat amusing.

"That's different…" Naruto murmured. "It's only in self-defense."

"_**Whatever you say, kit. And anyway, you probably shouldn't talk to me out loud. People will start to wonder.**_"

Naruto grumbled and rolled onto his side, trying to find the motivation and energy to get up again and search for food where he could actually obtain it. "I don't see what the big deal is. As long as they aren't from the Leaf, it's not like they'll know anything."

"_**Yeah, but they might start to ask questions, and it'd be better for both of us to remain unnoticed.**_" Kyuubi reasoned, not really liking the idea of being stuck in Konohagakure under watch, or even sealed into a new host if they decided the brat wasn't worth keeping alive now that he'd turned rogue.

The kid was bad enough though at the very least the boy didn't tell him to simply shut up and never flex his power like his previous two hosts.

Hell, the brat actually talked to him regularly as if he was just another person, so it wasn't _entirely_ bad. He was more tolerable, in some respects, at least. Only by a very small amount though.

"I guess that's true…" Naruto mumbled, before falling silent. He was _so_ incredibly hungry, and he should probably of just got up and went foraging for fruit or something. They were just outside of a forest after all, but what he really wanted to eat…

He sighed and stared down at the dirt, wondering where he was even going to find tasty fruit. He wasn't exactly a big nature survivalist or was very experienced in that sort of thing, having been stuck underground for years.

He perked slightly as he heard the clap of wood and glanced up at a pair of feet and sandals that came to stop just in front of him.

"Hey, kid, you alright?"

He glanced further up at the figure, a decent sized man by the looks of it, with gray-green hakama and kimono, and a red himori with two yellow spots over the chest.

Letting his eyes wander further, the guy looked to be at least middle-aged, with snow-white hair and red tear-track markings painted down either cheek to his jawline, and a large wart on one side of his nose.

His horned forehead protector didn't bare the marking of a village, and instead the kanji _Abura_ for 'oil'.

"Can I help you?" Naruto grumbled, seemingly disinterested. He wasn't sure who the guy was but at the very least he wasn't a Leaf shinobi from the looks of it.

"I asked if you were alright," the man repeated in response to the boy's question, cocking a brow at him. "Although I guess maybe if you have to ask the answer to that might be a 'no'."

"Well I've been _better_…" Naruto muttered under his breath. "Why're you asking, though?"

"Why am I asking?" The man tilted his head off to the side and hummed aloud. "Well, you're collapsed in an alleyway, for one. I figured there must be a reason for a kid like you to be collapsed back here." He paused and scratched the back of his head. "Or perhaps I'm mistaken and you just like laying in alleyways."

Naruto remained silent and stared at the guy, trying to figure out what he was getting at. Why was he even concerned, anyway? He always figured everyone just hated him.

"_**Remember, this isn't the village, brat. As far as he's concerned, you're just some ordinary kid, not the vessel for the Kyuubi.**_"

"Oh, that's right…" Naruto said, blinking.

"What was that?"

"Huh?" The boy glanced up only to realize he'd spoken out loud, flushing slightly. "Oh, um, n-nothing!" He sat up rigidly, hoping the guy hadn't seen it as anything suspicious.

"It looked like you might have realized or remembered something just now," the man observed. Naruto pursed his lips as he tried to think of something to say to stave off suspicion.

"_**Just tell him the truth, brat: you're hungry and you've got no money. Maybe he'll even take pity on you and feed you, if you play it up enough.**_"

_Hm…you think?_

"_**Just try it out. Besides, the sooner you get something to eat, the less time I have to spend hearing you complain.**_"

"I guess…" he mumbled under his breath. He glanced up and realized the guy was still watching him, feeling a little nervous under his critical stare.

"Um….well, well y'see…" he clapped his hands together in something of a begging fashion, offering up an awkward grin. "I'm really, _really_ hungry but I've got no money to pay for anything, so…well…I, uh-" He trailed off and idly scratched the side of his cheek sheepishly, not quite sure how to go on.

"_**Come on, brat. You have to play it up better than that if you ever expect to eat, unless you really want to starve.**_"

The very thought of food made his stomach growl audibly and he resolved that maybe Kyuubi was right. Heck, the guy would probably just turn and walk away at this point.

Hopping to his feet, he kept his hands together in the same fashion even as he went on, putting on his best kicked-puppy look that he could muster.

"Please, please mister! I'm seriously starving and I dunno how much longer I'll last if I don't get something to eat. You gotta help me! I'd be really, _really_ grateful if you had something to give me, anything at this point!"

At first he guy blinked at him before sighing out his nose and rubbing the back of his head.

"How could I say no to begging like that? But y'know kid, the theatrics weren't entirely necessary. A simple 'please' could've sufficed." He offered the blond a smile, the boy lighting up happily.

"Awesome! I'm gonna get to eat!" he cheered, dancing back and forth. "You were totally right!"

"Who was right?" This question made the boy stop nervously, realizing he'd slipped up again. He was so used to not having to worry about talking to Kyuubi aloud that it simply slipped out.

"Oh…um…I- I-" he froze up slightly as he tried to think of what to say. There was _no_ way he was going to just come out and tell this guy the truth, not when he was promised a meal. No doubt if he did, the man would turn on him like the others in the Leaf that hated him.

"_**You could always just tell him you're a schizo, brat,**_" Kyuubi chuckled darkly. "_**Maybe he'll even take even more pity on you then and give you double the food.**_"

_A what?_

"_**Just go with it.**_"

"Well?" the man questioned impatiently, leaning over and meeting the boy's blue eyes demandingly. "You're hiding something, aren't you?"

"Um….well…I- I- I-...I'm a…schizo?" he improvised, decided to just go with Kyuubi's plan.

"A schizophrenic, huh?" the man said, straightening up and looking at him in surprise. "So you hear voices that aren't there?"

"…you could say that…" Naruto said, shifting awkwardly and hoping that managed to stave off his suspicions.

"I see. It's been a long time since I met someone with schizophrenia. You know they have medications to cure that." He said, placing a hand to his chin and seeming to look the kid over with increased interest.

"Um…I'm not sure that'd really…do anything…" Naruto sweatdropped, before deciding to try tactfully changing the subject. "A-anyway! What about this food you promised me?"

"Oh, that's right! I almost forgot. Well, since I don't have anything on me right this instant, I guess we'll just have to find some place that sells food. That shouldn't be too hard."

"Great!" Naruto piped, moving to follow him. "Um, if we had any sort of choice in where we eat, I'd really like some ramen, maybe, please?"

"Sure kid, whatever you want," the man laughed, Naruto deciding that he really liked this guy.

"Hey, um, you never really told me who you were," the adolescent pointed out.

"Oh, me? I'm glad you asked!" Much to Naruto's surprise, and – maybe – amusement, the guy spun around and sort-of danced on one leg, offering up a grin. "I am the great Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku! The one, the only, Jiraiya!"

Naruto crossed his arms as he hummed in thought, tilting his head. "The who?"

"Don't tell me you haven't heard of me at all…" the man said in a voice that was bordering on a pitiful whine.

"_**Hmph. He's one of the Sannin, brat. The Legendary Three of Konohagakure.**_"

_You mean…this guy's a Leaf ninja?!_ Naruto returned, tensing.

"_**Yeah, but as far as I know, he hasn't been in the Leaf at least since the time I was sealed away in you. Maybe even before that. I don't think he knows anything about you.**_"

_I see…_

"Hey, Earth to kid, are you there?" Jiraiya said, waving a hand in his face and snapping Naruto out of his thoughts.

"Huh? Oh, yeah! Um…so…you're a legendary ninja, right?"

The man seemed to perk up and grin at him. "Ohhh! So you have heard of me! Well, I'm glad! Although, I'm not really much of a ninja these days you know. I'm more just a wandering novelist."

"Novelist?" Naruto tilted his head.

"That's right. You may have seen my work around," he produced a book from the folds of his kimono. "I am also the great renowned writer of the _Make-out Paradise_ series, you know!"

"Never read it…" Naruto hummed.

"Well of course you haven't, buying of this book by anyone who isn't an adult is prohibited! But of course you must have at least _heard_ of it!"

"No, not really." Once again the man's face fell. "I don't really get out that much."

"No kidding," the man deadpanned. "What, do you live under a rock?"

"_**He's not terribly far off,**_" Kyuubi couldn't help but laugh a little.

"I'm not really that interested in books, anyway. They just kind of bore me. Can we eat now?"

Jiraiya sighed and stored the book away. "Yeah, alright kid, let's go find you a ramen shop." Naruto only grinned and followed along, barely able to hold still at the thought of food by this point.


End file.
